two books on women and spirituality

[snugglekitty]

I tried to read Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance. Really I did. But after I read the author's note that Ring Around the Rosies was actually a sacred hymn to Astarte (Asta, Asta) - well, I just couldn't take it seriously anymore. Of course there was no footnote - how could there be a footnote? I looked for chapters that weren't trying to be historical, but I didn't find any. And anyone who cites Riane Eisler SERIOUSLY...

Well. :) I'm returning this book to the library and looking for another one on women and dance - possibly Wisdom Comes Dancing, which contains selected works of Ruth St. Denis. (Or maybe Maps to Ecstasy by Gabrielle Roth, which has been sitting in my bookcase for ages - I loved the sequel, Sweat Your Prayers.) But I did like the pictures. Anyone have a suggestion on a less fluffy book on dance and spirituality? I wish I still had The Body Sacred from Interlibrary Loan - the resource list from the dance chapter would be awesome to look at right now.

I followed this up with a book that didn't seem fluffy to me - but then again, what I know about Buddhism could fit in a very small teacup. So I could certainly be wrong. Anyway, reading Eat, Pray, Love made me want to find out more about women's roles in Buddhism, and after some looking around, I wound up with the book Opening the Lotus: A Woman's Guide to Buddhism. This was pretty much a beginner book, which is probably a good thing. It did discuss the role of women in Buddhism historically, Buddhism and sex, Quan Yin, and the idea that feminist women might bring something special to the religion. I'd give it four stars - it was a great introductory resource.



I got this book because I wanted to find "the other side" of Buddhism - the feminine side. Now I'm not as sure as I was that there is one. The religion is more patriarchal than I realized. The Eight Strict Precepts that nuns must follow in order to show that they will always be subservient to monks bugged me, as did the concept that the male body is seen as the highest ideal and the most likely to attain enlightenment (although apparently that was refuted by Quan Yin, if I'm understanding everything correctly).

The book is geared towards those who wish to practice Buddhism, and I'm not in that category. But many of the practices described reminded me of my own. It's not surprising that paganism borrows a lot from Eastern traditions. I also very much enjoyed the description of metta practice. You visualize different people/things, try to see them as they are, send them lovingkindness, and add your sincere hopes that they be free from disease, anger, and grief, and that they be happy. You start with yourself. Then you do it for someone that you love, then someone that you are neutral about, then someone that you dislike. Then you do it for someone who you have wronged, and someone who has wronged you. Then you do it for the whole world, and then you close by doing it for yourself again. I can really get behind that. I like that the emphasis is on starting and ending with loving yourself. I did this while going to sleep the other night, and found it relaxing. I may do this some other time, with "may they find their path" rather than be happy. Happiness can be transitory, but living your own life is not.

Again - this is not my path. Some of the basic tenets of Buddhism, at least as presented in this book, do violence to my intuition. I don't believe that my feelings are all driven by my thoughts. Many of the best ones are not. I don't believe that our desires are doomed to lead us astray - my desires have led me pretty reliably towards good things that have helped me on my path. I don't believe it's possible to live without harming any other creature - I wouldn't even want to try. (Richard Bach has some interesting thoughts about that in Illusions.) And I definitely don't believe that our lives are an illusion, a trick, or a test. It's not my way. I think our lives have meaning.

I wound up finding a comprehensive booklist on women and Buddhism, so I'm going to keep trying. I ordered three more books on the subject - two at the library and one via paperbackswap.com. I still don't know exactly what I'm looking for, but it's definitely interesting. Spirituality of all kinds just fascinates me.

Comments

[queen-of-wands.livejournal.com]

If Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance is the book I'm remembering, I checked it out of the library and tried to read it but found it awful. Likewise, avoid Sacred Dance: Encounter with the Gods which I have on my shelf and you can borrow if you really don't want to avoid it. I read Sweat Your Prayers and felt like I could tell Gabrielle Roth knew a lot about dancing, but her attempts at theologizing annoyed me. Then I actually went and danced the Five Rhythms and Oh My Gods Amazing! I tell people interested in Gabrielle Roth to please find a dance or a class to try before reading her. That said, I haven't yet tried Maps to Ecstasy so if you read it I'll be curious to read your review. I have thought about some day writing a book on sacred dance. If you keep looking and keep not finding much, that will tell me there's still something to be written. You might try looking for reading on particular kinds of dancing eg. belly dance or Sufi dance and see what that turns up.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

You've probably read this already, but if not, T. Thorn Coyle's Evolutionary Witchcraft has a number of specific dances to do for specific purposes.